By Korine Z. - StarInna629@msn.com
Rated: PG, nothing too horrible, safe for young minds so far
Spoilers: major ones for Biogenesis and the ending of Field Trip
Summary: In response to a challenge posted by Goblin214, Mulder starts to feel the effects of the ancient artifact the moment after him and Scully were rescued from the giant fungus (of all things that could capture M&S, it had to be a giant mushroom!!!).
Keywords: Story/Adventure/Angst/Romance MSR/UST
Disclaimer: How do I say this simply, anything related to X-Files is not mine, well except all those action figures I spent a large sum of money on!
Author's Notes: Well this is my debut in writing fanfic, so any comments about any aspect of this story are greatly appreciated. Feedback is the gift that keeps on giving. Any flames are going to be used to heat the flames between Mulder and Scully. Seriously though, any feedback would make my day. Please read this and give some color commentary on it. I really want to improve my writing and your feedback is what helps. Send e-mail to StarInna629@msn.com.
Archives: Gossamer is A- okay, others e-mail me if you want to archive my story.
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From a dense brush of foliage, he watched as the two figures, barely recognizable due to the dirt covering them, were wheeled into a waiting ambulance. He vigilantly observed Skinner hover over an EMT volunteer, intensely questioning him about the condition of his two agents. Krycek was intrigued by Skinner's steadfastness and constant objectivity regarding Mulder and Scully. He observed that Skinner was too committed and in a cautionary, twisted way, he had become a father figure towards Mulder and Scully. This new revelation was unsettling, but in all it's worth, it could not hamper Kryceks's contrivance.
Alex Krycek was aware of the tiniest details of Walter Skinner's life. He had enough power to manipulate the subtlest aspects of Skinner's life with unmatched stealth. He knew Skinner feared him. Thanks to nanoprobe technology developed by a now incontrovertibly deceased scientist, Krycek could make Skinner do whatever was essential to the Consortium. What more initiative did a man need, knowing his life was forfeit if he didn't cooperate. Skinner would come in handy when it came to finally bringing down Mulder. However, one countenance could discredit their plans. Dana Scully. With the downfall of Mulder, she would take his place in his search for the truth, seeking it out more ruthlessly and vigilantly as ever. Dealing with the two was long overdue. They were a danger to the Consortium and would have to be eliminated, no matter the consequences. The Consortium was consumed with an intensely disturbing determination to dispose of the X-Files. And he, Alex Krycek, was a mild distraction in the scheme of things.
As Alex Krycek roused from his meandering contemplation, he discovered the ambulance was finally loaded with its two patients, ready to go. Errant on-lookers were losing interest in what happened and were finally leaving. The police too, were satisfied with the information they managed to retrieve and were driving away. Each car leaving a small dust trail in its wake.
Krycek was tired of the mindless surveillance he was being bared to. He had better things to do than play stalker for the Consortium. He obeyed Them. He even succeeded in being civil in his manners. But no one could possess more disgust for the Consortium than him. Finally, after he was certain it was safe, he walked briskly to the parking lot area and got in his car, looking inside to make sure no one was inside. A testament to the paranoia that had enveloped him ever since he came to be involved with the Consortium. He sat down, roughly into his black Mercedes. A scowl deeply etched on his face, a consecutive testament to the hardships life had dealt him. Carefully removing his black leather jacket, he laid it beside him on the passenger side of his car. With even more care, he placed a wrapped parcel containing a small slab of stone that would consequently lead to the obliteration of Mulder and his precious X-Files. He put his car in gear and drove away, following the path of the ambulance that was just disappearing over the horizon.
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Opening his eyes was the hardest task Mulder could imagine doing. His world was filled with fear and disillusionment and more importantly a coldness so strong, he felt paralyzed by it. Keeping his eyes closed would keep some of his demons at bay. An overwhelming sense of loneliness overtook him. No one was there, he had lost. He broke down weeping, his barriers, broken and his mind, without sense. Then a sudden, unbearable panic hit him, changing his fear to longing. Only one thought came into his shattered mind. It permeated his being.
Scully.
With new determination, he opened his eyes searching. More or less a liturgy of survival. With his last remnants of will power, he searched for Scully.
Relief enveloped him as he realized that Scully was lying on a stretcher next to him. She was covered in dirt and looked like she'd been through hell. He noticed he was in the same state she was. Then a realization hit, making him remember, what had happened to them.
Another panic hit him even harder. He reached out to her; an inconsolable need for proof that she was there encompassed his whole being. To know that the woman lying beside him was indisputably his partner, Dana Scully. Not a conjured up figment of his hallucinations.
He extended his hand, searching for her grasp; her hand falling into his as she was hunting for his presence. A jolt of pain rampaged through Mulder's head when he felt contact with Scully's hand. A gasp of pain slipped past his lips and he squeezed his eyes shut willing the agony to exit his body.
A barrage of voices assaulted him to the point where he could not establish his own identity nor think. And then as abruptly as it appeared, it abandoned him.
Relief and shock showered him. It left him with dull thud in his head and drained. He let out a pained moan. Yet, he felt soothed by Scully's presence, realizing he was still grasping her hand.
Exhaustion prevailed and unconsciousness called. Mulder closed his eyes. Swearing in his tiredness that he actually heard Scully's soft singing in his mind. In too much pain and weakness, he slipped towards senselessness.
*If I was king of the world...*
Then darkness.
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Thank you for reading. If you got to the end, I commend you to the farthest extent. Please send some comments on the story. If it sucked, please e-mail me and tell me. It's the only way I'll improve the next time I write a story. The next part will be out later this week and the whole series will be finished before the new X-Files season starts. Please e-mail me at StarInna629@msn.com.